Doujinshi are basically self-published works (manga, illustration collections, novels, etc.) usually created by amateure artists and/or writers known as doujinshika. There are some professionals who create doujinshi too, such as Maki Murakami of Gravitation who made doujinshi based on her own characters. And some professionals used to be doujinshika before going pro, the most well-known example being the ladies of CLAMP.

A circle is what the doujinshika or group of doujinshika call themselves when publishing their works. Sometimes two or more circles will collaberate on a doujinshi.

Some circles: PRIVATE LABEL, Tenshin Monogatari, shooting star cinema

There are doujinshi based on just about anything possible. The most common are probably the ones based on anime/manga and videogame series. There are also ones based on movies like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Wars. I've also seen a few based on TV shows like Star Trek and the Powerpuff Girls. I've even seen some of J-POP/ROCK groups, or famous Japanese actors/actresses. Other doujinshi are known as original meaning that the story and characters were made up by the doujinshika and aren't based on anyone else's characters.

The content of the doujinshi can range from really funny to tragic, from wholesome clean stuff for the whole family to extreme dirty sex for adults only. So how do you tell which is something you want to see from something you wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole?

Gag stories are meant to be funny. The characters may find themselves in outrageous situations or they may parody certain scenes from the show/manga/game/movie. Crazy looking characters are common and can be funny to anyone even if you can't undrstand what's being said. A lot of the humor also comes from the dialogue. So if you don't find the pictures that funny you probably would if you knew what was being said. Overall, these are just silly and fun. Some jokes can be slightly ecchi (see below.) I'm not going to label them as ecchi because they aren't that detailed. >> example <<

Serious stories tend to be darker than normal ones and have very little humor if any at all. Sadness, pain, suffering and death are what these are made up of. They may be very violent with lots of gore and blood. Or it just migt be some angsty romance. Overall, the mood is dark, tense, depressing or tragic. >> example << gory >> example << emotional

Ecchi is a term which comes from the Japanese pronounciation of the English letter H from the word hentai. (see below) This is used to describe something that's a little perverted. This is basically equivalent to what you'd find in an R-rated movie. There's usually kissing, touching, some nudity and possibly sex (but not expicit.) I think these are okay for older teens (15+) but if your parents don't allow you to watch R movies then you probably shouldn't look at these. On this site, ecchi will refer to the male x female pairings. >> example <<

Hentai means pervert or perverted. This is the general term for porn. These are X-rated and meant for adults only! (18+) They contain very explicit sexual content with more detail than you'd probably want to see. There's spit, sweat, other bodily fluids, somtimes blood... There's usually barely any story at all. Hentai has many sub-categories, such as yaoi and yuri. (see below) Hentai and yuri are among some of the most expensive doujinshi out there while yaoi can be found for much cheaper due to the vast amounts created. On this site, hentai will refer to the male x female pairings. >> example <<

Hard Yaoi is extreme explicit sex between two boys. Everything is shown with a great amount of detail. The sex is greatly emphasized over the relationship. These are X-rated and for adults only! (18+) >> example <<

Some doujinshi's stories are about the relationship between two characters. These usually apply when the story is of a sexual nature, the name of the person who's on top or the more dominate one (known as the seme or attaker) comes before the one on the bottom or the passive one (known as the uke or reciever.) Or if it's a male x female pairing, the male is first an the female second no matter who's dominate or passive. If it's not sexual then I will use an "&" instead of an "x".

Not all doujinshi are manga some are novel (all text) and others are just illustration collections. Most doujinshi are a combination of manga and novel.

Most doujinshi have around pages 20-40 pages (including the cover and back). Novel doujinshi can have as many as 200 pages or even more. Manga doujinshi don't usually have that many pages unless it's an anthology with many circles' works or a collection of one circle's doujinshi.

Most doujinshi are B5. Less common are the smaller A5. As I get more doujinshi I'll add more sizes to the table below. Now, stationary comes in a greater variety of sizes. Some aren't even standard sizes, so for those I'll put the size in millimeters.

If you're in Japan , then you're pretty damn lucky because new doujinshi usually cost anywhere between 300 and 1,500 yen (about $3~15) each. Most are around 500 to 800 yen. And used ones are a bit cheaper. But if you don't happen to live in Japan (like me) then doujinshi will be much more expensive due to shipping costs and fees and sellers trying to make a profit. Typically they're sold for around $10 to $15 but can be higher depending on the number of pages and the circle. Hentai and yuri doujinshi are even more expensive, usually anywhere between $15 and $30. As you can see collecting doujinshi can be a very expensive hobby.

If you're not in Japan then you're going to have to get them from online sources. I've also heard that you can get them from some conventions here in the US. (I didn't see any at any of the conventions I've gone to though...) Most of the doujinshi I have here are available for sale (go here for more information.) The following stores and services that I usually use are located in Japan so shipping is a little high.

If you want to try bidding on those pretty doujinshi you see in the auctions on Yahoo! Japan and don't have any friends in Japan (nearly all sellers only deal with buyers in Japan) then you should sign up with one of these auction services. You can get the newest doujinshi this way. It's how I'm currently getting most of my doujinshi.

First you deposit some money which is then then used to bid on the auctions. If you win the auction they will deal with the sellers and then mail the items to you, for a fee. Be sure you read about how each one calculates their fees, what payment methods they accept, what shipping methods they offer, how long they'll hold your items, etc.

Akibado will also buy things directly from Japanese stores for you in addition to the auction service they offer. Some doujinshi circles sell their doujinshi through their websites and Akibado will buy them for you.

That's really up to you. (Personally, I'm a risk taker and am willing to give just about anything a try.) But becareful when choosing, the cover doesn't always reflect what the art inside will be like. Sometimes there won't even be any art at all if it's a novel doujinshi. Doujinshi that consist of mostly novel tend to be worth less here since most people buying them can't read it. That's why it's important to see a sample of the inside if you can, especially if it's made by a circle you're not familiar with.